The Japanese car maker purposely ditched the Impreza badge from the last model and promised the next would further separate itself from the run-of-the-mill family car on which it had been based since it was introduced to Australia in 1994.

It lived up to that promise with a wild and swoopy concept car at last year’s New York motor show that looked nothing like an Impreza, and now the question is has it followed through with the production version that arrives in local showrooms this week?

New Subaru WRX

The short answer is the WRX has never been better, in terms of how it drives, how affordable it is, how efficient it is and how flexible it is to live with everyday.

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But the reality is it isn’t quite as revolutionary as we’d been led to believe. It does, however, build on all of the foundations that made every iteration before it brilliant as far as the equation of bang for your bucks is concerned, and significantly improves on a number of areas where it had fallen behind the latest crop of European hot hatch rivals.

For starters, the interior looks more modern, has higher quality materials and, in the high-spec Premium variant at least which comes standard with leather trim, a sunroof top-grade Harman Kardon audio and satellite navigation, it can stand up to its competitors on equipment.

The sport seats are snug without being overly aggressive, the flat-bottomed steering wheel is chunkier than before, the driving position has good adjustment and there’s great all-round vision, particularly through the front three-quarter which, unlike other modern cars which are afflicted with blind spots from thick A-pillars, offers a clear view thanks to the rake of its windscreen and quarter windows at the leading edge of the doors.

There’s also noticeably more space in the rear too, with enough legroom for adults, and its 460L boot is more than adequate for the daily grind.

Its styling is subjective, but personally from some angles it is divisive. The front looks more aggressive than ever, but that level isn’t matched at the rear with only a subtle bootlid spoiler and the 17-inch alloys look a size too small.

None of that matters though when you’re driving it, which is where the WRX has always delivered. Even though the 2.0-litre engine is smaller than the last-generation, it doesn’t lack for anything as, on paper, it produces more power and torque (197kW and 350Nm) and has a lower claimed fuel consumption.

On the road, and at any speed, it immediately feels more refined too with sharper throttle response thanks to its direct injection cylinder heads and a more progressive build up of boost from its twin-scroll turbo charger. It still has a little bit of lag under 2000rpm and it feels as though there’s a slight dip in mid-range torque, but overall it is a stronger engine that delivers a relentless surge of acceleration whenever you ask of it.

That’s helped by the wider spread of gear ratios offered in the new six-speed manual transmission that, while not as slick as some of its rivals, has a nice mechanical feel to its action with a well-weighted clutch pedal.

The optional CVT automatic – the first time in a decade that Subaru has offered a self-shifting transmission on the WRX – is a real surprise. It works brilliantly to always remain in the engine’s broad torque band and, although it isn’t as quick as the manual off the line, feels as though it offers better in-gear acceleration under enthusiastic driving conditions. It also has a manual mode with eight pre-selected ratios that replicates a noticeable surge in acceleration when shifting up, but is seamless on the way down to offer good engine braking. At the other end of the driving spectrum, it is fuss-free when left to its own devices in everyday situations and doesn’t flare the revs like other CVTs.

As for how it handles, Subaru has retuned the McPherson front and double-wishbone rear suspension with stiffer springs and larger anti-roll bars and quickened the steering ratio, which, combined with its all-wheel drive system, offers even greater levels of grip. The steering is instantaneously direct (and even sharper than the BRZ sports coupe) and offers great feedback to road, while the suspension is taut but has brilliant body control. It will still push the front end wide under heavy acceleration through hard corners, but in most situations the chassis is perfectly neutral and predictable.

The brakes, which feature larger front discs but still only have two-piston sliding callipers, are marginally less prone to fade after prolonged use on a twisty road than its predecessor, but still felt a bit spongy after a while.

In the end, it is a significantly better WRX, and one that offers more bang for less bucks. But it doesn’t stray too far from the formula that made the original a pocket rocket icon of its generation.

49 comments so far

A functioning gearbox and not a shred of tartan to be seen. Sounds like it's ahead of the competition already.

Commenter

Jet Chicken

Location

Date and time

March 28, 2014, 12:36AM

I'm not sticking up for VAG, but Subaru has not had a good run with their gearboxes either.The old 5 speed in the WRX was weaker than your great aunt Betty's hip.

Commenter

greco

Location

mel

Date and time

March 28, 2014, 8:07AM

I'm sure Porsche is shaking in its boots.

Commenter

Glove Puppet

Location

Left Field

Date and time

March 28, 2014, 8:33AM

@Jet Chicken

It's actually a good comparison. The WRX and the Golf GTi are both favourites with posers.

Meanwhile, over at Renault/Ford/etc...

Commenter

Captain Hindsight

Location

Date and time

March 28, 2014, 9:58AM

There may not be any tartan but there is more than enough ugly on the outside to make up for it. This car just looks awful, totally uninspiring. How can Subaru acknowledge a problem, spend millions on a fix (the concept car) and then not implement it? It beggars belief. You see fewer and fewer new WRXs on the road and really can't see this model doing anything to arrest the slide when there is so much competition and most of it is far more desirable. This would only appeal to those who feel they absolutely must have AWD but for the rest of us, who understand that AWD is just an extra 150kg to lug around for no benefit, it's not going to work at all.

Commenter

MotorMouth

Location

Sydney

Date and time

March 28, 2014, 10:11AM

@MotorMouthYou have some serious tunnel vision if you think the Golf looks better than this.Sure it's a huge backwards step from the last WRX but it has a long way to slide before it is Golf bland

Commenter

MC

Location

Sydney

Date and time

March 28, 2014, 10:26AM

I'm with MM - this thing is still too ugly!

Why can't they put the rex running gear into a BRZ / 86 style good looking coupé is beyond me. They've had 10 years to get this right.

Sorry, but it's way uglier than a GTi

Commenter

QED

Location

Date and time

March 28, 2014, 11:44AM

Glove Puppet - more like muppet. I have a sneaky suspicion that at under $40K Subaru aren't trying to compete with Porche. You probably drive a Kia.